I grew up in LA’s Westside, and during that time, restaurants that featured Japanese comfort food were plentiful. These family-oriented restaurants featured teriyaki, pork tonkatsu, udon, tempura, and sashimi. Most of these restaurants have vanished because the children don’t carry it forward. Ojiya is one such restaurant and has been going strong since 2003.
Ojiya is easy to overlook because it is located in a strip mall on Hawthorne Blvd in Torrance. One of its tenants, Seafood Port, has better signage, but the strip mall is also home to a better-known restaurant, Inaba and Ko-Ryu Ramen Grill. Fortunately, free parking is plentiful. They must be relying on word of mouth because they do not advertise.
You can find something for everyone on this menu because it is pretty extensive. Items include salads, sashimi, sushi rolls, nigiri, tonkatsu, cooked seafood, ramen, udon, and combo plates. Wine, beer, sake, and soju are available as adult beverages.
My daughter selected the Spicy Tuna and Tempura combination ($20.80) and remarked about the freshness and overall quality of the sushi. She added that the tempura was “average,” but she has already experienced some of LA’s best tempura.
Grilled Beef Tongue is one of their appetizers ($15.80), but they said I could upgrade it to a “set” ($20.30) to make it a meal. The tongue is topped with shredded lettuce, slivered carrots, and onions.
It was a warm day on another visit, and I defaulted to chilled Zaru Soba ($11.80). While this is a simple dish, I like the simple flavors of buckwheat noodles with soba sauce. My server surprised me by providing inari sushi with the meal. I later found out that the inari sushi is part of the meal.
I’m used to eating inari sushi made in advance and refrigerated. The rice slightly hardens because it is refrigerated, and the experience is less than satisfactory. The fried tofu was warm and moist, and the rice was warm and sushi-grade.
Ojiya is priced to be an everyday restaurant for single diners, couples, and families. It is one of my “go-to” local places to frequent.
Ojiya, 21008 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503; 310.793.7000